Antonio Azzuolo to Design Giuliano Fujiwara
Antonio Azzuolo, whose namesake label in New York has occupied a small but sought-out spot on the American menswear landscape, now has a bigger platform to call his own. The Canadian-born designer has been named creative director for menswear, womenswear, and accessories at the Milanese label Giuliano Fujiwara. (This marks his first official womenswear collection, though he has designed for women privately under the auspices of his own line, which he will continue to design in addition to Fujiwara.)
The heyday of Fujiwara came in the late eighties and early nineties, when the designer capitalized on the nascent trend for minimalism and architectural shapes. (Fujiwara himself debuted the line on the Milanese runway in 1986; between then and now, it has been designed by Masataka Matsumura and, more recently, Sergio Daricello.) “Giuliano Fujiwara was one of the few brands that I noticed when I moved to Milan right after school, and the aesthetics were so subtle and beautiful,” Azzuolo said. “I still remember the store’s displays so vividly. Along with Romeo Gigli, it was a great inspiration for me.”
Azzuolo’s first collection for Fujiwara will be shown in Italy this June, playing on iconic menswear styles and the idea of a global nomad, incorporating influences from the U.S., Japan, and France, as well as its native Italy. “I think it is important to keep this legacy alive but not duplicate it,” Azzuolo said. “We are at a different time. I think what’s important is to have a strong vision on what is relevant today in the world and community we will live in.” Above, Azzuolo shares a preview sketch from his first collections for women and for men.
Style At Your Fingertips
Aside from maybe a tiara, nothing heightens the glamour of a full-on evening look quite like a pair of gloves. Eye-catching gauntlets turned up on the Lanvin, Gucci, and Oscar de la Renta Fall runways. And at last week’s high-wattage Met Gala, divas from Madonna to Beyoncé to Paloma Faith covered up their digits with statement-making pairs of varying lengths. Kim Kardashian’s custom Givenchy number was the talk of the town, but what really piqued our interest was the gown’s built-in gloves, which prompted speculation that Kim was concealing an engagement ring (you know Kanye would go all out with a rock for his baby mama).
We predict we’ll be seeing more gloves at Cannes. Here, a show of hands.
An A+ For Architecture
Last night, Architizer—an online architecture network for professionals and dabblers alike—hosted its inaugural A+ Awards gala at New York City’s Cedar Lake. And, according to the site’s CEO Marc Kushner, the event not only aimed to honor talents like Richard Meier, who won the lifetime achievement award, but also to make architecture more approachable for those in other creative realms. “We designed an event to help break architecture out of the echo chamber, so that other people can jump in and relate to it,” Kushner told Style.com. Last night’s accolades honored a total of eighty-seven buildings in more than fifty two categories—including Jaklitsch/Gardner’s cubic Marc Jacobs flagship in Tokyo and THEVERYMANY’s Louis Vuitton x Yayoi Kusama pop-up store at Selfridges in London.
“What they do is really amazing—it’s a great resource,” said attendee Joseph Altuzarra, one of many fashion designers present (Thom Browne and Yigal Azrouël also stopped by). Altuzarra offered that he has his own unique tie to architecture. “We have this factory in the north of France that does jersey—it was designed by Le Corbusier. Everything was done so carefully, it’s really beautiful.”
TenOverSix Trots to Texas
As one of the leading retail destinations in Los Angeles, TenOverSix—founded by Kristen Lee and Brady Cunningham—has garnered a cult following with its tightly edited mix of designers (think Jesse Kamm, Jenni Kayne, THVM, Alasdair, Maison Kitsuné, and beyond). Now, Lee and Cunningham have brought their cleverly cool curation to the Lone Star state, selecting Dallas’ recently renovated Joule Hotel for the location of their second outpost. Mimicking the L.A. store’s eclectic white-and-wood interior, the more-than-550-square-foot Dallas boutique is filled with an ample array of wares by up-and-coming designers, established indie labels, and high-profile brands. With the Dallas set in mind, Lee and Cunningham have stocked a ready supply of cocktail dresses and filled their Lucite display boxes with both subtle and statement jewelry from the likes of Mociun, Lizzie Fortunato, and Pamela Love. Staying true to their signature edit, the pair has made sure to bring along their best-selling stock of Karen Walker, Vena Cava, and Rachel Comey, as well as pieces exclusive to the new location.
In addition to the main store, Lee and Cunningham have created TenOverSix Presents—an updated take on a hotel gift shop, which, set in the Joule’s lobby, offers a quirky mix of gifts, accessories, and essentials. Only at TenOverSix can one find toothbrushes, a birdcage necklace, and a pig-shaped fruit basket all in the same place.
TenOverSix is open now at the Joule Hotel, located at 1511 Commerce St. Dallas, TX 75202
Phoebe English’s Dover Street Galaxy
From the Keith Haring installation to a giant Barbie display to entire worlds created by Tim Walker, Gilbert & George, Chanel, and Lanvin, the windows of Rei Kawakubo’s London concept boutique Dover Street Market (which is slotted to open in New York later this year) have become somewhat of an institution. So when the storefront is lent to a young designer, it’s a veritable rite of passage. Earlier this year, rising star Simone Rocha built an Irish wilderness behind Dover Street’s glass facade. And today, Phoebe English—a 27-year old Central Saint Martins graduate who won the coveted L’Oréal Professional award upon her graduation in 2011—takes the stage, mounting her first project for the shop. “They were my first stockist,” said English, who’s now been selling at Dover Street for four seasons. “We’ve been working on this for a long time. And it’s been very challenging because it’s such a different thing than putting together a collection.”
English has a penchant for combining unexpected materials in her wares—synthetic hair and strips of rubber, for example. So naturally, her installation, a giant, ethereal icy-blue orb that combines shreds of fabric and glass beads from her Spring ’13 collection (above, left), follows suit. “It’s a bit of a play on contradiction. I liked that the solidity of the sphere contrasted against the irregular textiles and beads,” she explained, noting that her sculpture had an intergalactic inspiration (“I quite like planets and stars,” she giggled). As for why she decided to forgo a clothing-based display, English offered, “I felt that it would be too literal. Dover Street is such a creative garment-based space already, and it felt right to push my creative thought in a new direction.” English’s windows will be on view through May 29, and her Spring ’13 collection is available now at Dover Street Market’s London boutique.